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NSF TARGETS CITIES
By Sean Henahan, Access Excellence
WASHINGTON- The National Science Foundation plans to award $105 million to seven large U.S. cities in an effort to improve K-12 science education in underserved areas. The awards are part of the NSF's Urban Systemic Initiative (USI) Program. The goal of the program is to improve science, mathematics and technology education in areas with a high percentage of students living at or below the poverty line. The seven cities chosen are Cleveland, Columbus, Fresno, Los Angeles, Memphis, New Orleans, and Philadelphia. Many other cities are eligible to participate. The cities will each receive up to $15 million over five years, beginning with an initial award of $2 million for the first year. "The USI is a one-of-a-kind federal program that has the potential to greatly impact urban education," said NSF Director Neal Lane. "And considering that urban school systems enroll about half of all school-age children in the U.S., the USI Program also has significant implications to the nation's overall education reform effort." According to NSF Assistant Director for Education and Human Resources, Luther Williams, a key goal of the USI Program is to "confront one of the most intractable education issues of our time -- the disturbing and continuing performance gap between the mostly poor and predominantly minority children in the inner cities, and their largely white suburban counterparts." The USI Program depends on interactive partnerships that require substantial participation and commitment by the cities involved. The seven cities have already started moving, having established revitalized leadership, school budget and school calendar reconfigurations, math and science requirements, and programs aimed at the introduction of new technologies. "Obviously no federal agency can or should dictate what changes a local school district must make," said Williams. "What we can do is provide the leverage and the guidance to help the urban school districts determine and meet their own goals. This group of awards is doing just that." Transmitted: 95-02-24 17:59:14 EST
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